


worlds in your hands

by spyglass



Category: Betsy-Tacy Series - Maud Hart Lovelace
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-23
Updated: 2013-09-23
Packaged: 2017-12-27 09:23:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/977125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spyglass/pseuds/spyglass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Winona, Dennie, and the start of something new.</p>
            </blockquote>





	worlds in your hands

**Author's Note:**

  * For [katayla](https://archiveofourown.org/users/katayla/gifts).



i.

Winona Root stepped onto the street and into the warm September sunshine. Classes at the Teachers College had begun only a week ago, and Winona was growing accustomed to her new routine. She enjoyed her classes and she liked the idea of being a teacher more than she ever liked being a student, but the truth was that Winona was lonely. After four years, Deep Valley High School was familiar to her. She missed it, but more importantly, she missed her friends.

Deep Valley seemed a different place since her fellow members of the Crowd had gone off to college. Some were at the U, others were attending the German Catholic College, and Carney was even off at Vassar in New York. Although some of the Crowd had remained in Deep Valley for school or to begin working, Winona knew that things would never be the same again.

As she passed by the stores nearest to the college, she noticed the sign for Farisy’s Store. She rarely went inside as Farisy’s sold hardware and other supplies that were of little interest to her, but it was her friend Dennie’s family business. Dennie, like several other members of their Crowd, had opted to forego college in favor of learning from his father.

On impulse, Winona turned and headed towards Farisy’s. The bell chimed as she opened the door and stepped inside.

“Welcome to Farisy’s,” Dennie’s father greeted, smiling as he recognized her. “Winona, it’s a pleasure to see you here.”

Although the Crowd spent most of their time at the Rays’ home and the Sibleys’ home, Winona and Dennie had been friends long before they were part of the Crowd and Winona knew Dennie’s parents well.

“Hello, Mr. Farisy,” she said with a grin. “Is Dennie working today?”

“He’s just finishing up for the day,” he replied. “I’m sure he would love to see you.”

“Thank you,” Winona said, but she had already spotted Dennie and was heading towards him. He looked exactly as he always had, with his unruly curls and his cheerful grin.

“Winona!” He exclaimed, winking at her. “I don’t suppose you’ve come all this way to see a working man like me, have you?”

“I was passing this way,” she said nonchalantly. “I thought I might see if you needed an escort to walk you home.”

“Are you offering?” he teased.

“Only if you’re accepting,” she answered.

“I’ll go tell my father that I’m leaving,” he said. “That offer is too good for me to turn it down.”

 

ii.

The sun had just begun to set to the west as they set out towards Front Street and back into town.

“How’s it going at the old Teachers College?” Dennie asked teasingly. “Looking forward to imparting wisdom and knowledge to the minds of Deep Valley students in a few short years?”

“Gee,” Winona exclaimed with a conspiratorial grin. “I think it best that I don’t answer since my mother still lectures me on being _dignified_.”

“I don’t know that being dignified is in your best interest. We certainly trained a few dignified young teachers in our day.”

“I don’t think the problem is preparing me for the students,” she laughed. “It’s the students of Deep Valley who aren’t ready for _me_.” She paused thoughtfully for a moment and then added, “But I’ll always be sure to check the erasers to make sure no one put a garter snake in there.”

“That was one of my finer moments,” he reminisced. They were almost past the old schoolhouse and Mrs. Chubbock’s store by this point, nearing Winona’s house. “I’m glad you stopped by the store,” Dennie said, sounding suddenly shy. “You should stop by again, or I could come see you at the Teachers College.”

“I will,” she replied. Her house was just ahead now. “But I should go. My parents are probably waiting.”

And before he could answer, she kissed him quickly on the cheek and bounded off towards her house, leaving him standing alone on the street without a single glance back.

Her parents were waiting for her as she expected, her father already home from the offices of the _Deep Valley Sun_. 

“Was that young Dennie Farisy I saw walking you home?” her mother called out as Winona entered the kitchen.

“No, Mamma,” Winona answered, quickly darting away from her mother’s knowing stare. “It _was_ Dennie you saw walking with me,” she said, matter-of-factly. “But _I_ was walking _him_ home.”

As Winona left the kitchen, she swore she heard her mother exclaim something about dignified young women.

 

iii.

Walking home with Dennie quickly became a habit. Every few days, Winona would stop at Farisy’s Store to meet him or she would find him perched on the fence down by the street waiting for her. Sometimes they walked straight home, but other times they would stop at Heinz’s for an ice cream sundae. Every so often they would be joined by one of their fellow Crowd members who had stayed in Deep Valley, but more often than not, it was just the two of them.

“Do you ever wish you had gone to the U with everyone else?” she asked him one day about a month later. It was a particularly cool October day, and Winona hugged her coat tight to her as they walked. Most days, they were content to laugh and tease each other like they always had, but today, she felt suddenly serious. She had from the moment she had seen him leaning against the fence, a broad smile on his face as he waited.

“No,” he answered quickly and assuredly. “I’m glad I stayed. I was never much for school, so I’ll learn more from my father than I would have at the U. And if Cab can do it, I can too.” He looked a little melancholy at this, so Winona took his hand and that seemed to help because he quickly added, “And you’re here.”

“I’m glad you stayed, too” she said.

“I heard that the Presbyterian Church is having a Halloween dance next Saturday,” Dennie said.

“Yep,” Winona nodded. “I’ve heard the same. That’s the power of the press.”

“I, uh, I think that almost everyone who stayed in Deep Valley is going to go.”

“Why Dennie,” she asked slyly. “Are you asking me if I’ll go with you?”

“I was trying to.” He let out a long, unsteady laugh and then added, “So, will you?”

She pretended to think about it for a moment, but the truth was, she already knew her answer. She knew the first evening they walked home together.

“I will.”

**Author's Note:**

> Your request was for something of how Winona and Dennie's relationship played out, so I hope this fits in with what you were looking for. Thank you for such a fun request!
> 
> And thank you Liz for the beta read.


End file.
